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The days of visitation and punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is [considered] a crazed fool and the man who is inspired is [treated as if] mad or a fanatic, because of the abundance of your iniquity and because the enmity, hostility, and persecution are great. 8 Ephraim was [intended to be] a watchman with my God [and a prophet to the surrounding nations]; but he, that prophet, has become a fowler’s snare in all his ways. There is enmity, hostility, and persecution in the house of his God. Hosea 9:7-8 AMP
The prophets of God, the true people of God who speak and live God’s Word, will inevitably suffer persecution when their nation is full of sin and rebellion against God and the Truth of His Word, however, the Gospel must continue to be boldly preached.
The Christian who believes in the power of the Word of God, who is filled with the power of God, who is wholly submitted to the Word and the Spirit, who has clean hands and a pure heart, who is not ashamed of the Gospel, who preaches the truth and lives a godly life, is the devil’s worst nightmare! If the devil cannot stop you from obeying the Great Commission, then he will stir up persecution against you to try to hinder you, discourage you, and/or prevent you from continuing.
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:21-24 NKJV
The Gospel is the same to all, but not all receive it the same way. Sincere people, who sin because they don’t know any other way, still have a conscience that convicts them, especially when the truth is preached. However, a person who has silenced their own conscience so that they can continue to sin, does not welcome, but rather rejects, the Truth. The generation which has embraced evil will be stubborn and rebellious toward God; therefore, they will claim that God’s righteous messengers, who speak His Word, are merely “crazed fools”, rather than God’s watchmen, so that they can have an excuse for their own sinfulness. Unwarranted enmity, hostility, and persecution, directed toward the messenger, are the results.
If you are a child of God, then you have been given the ministry of reconciliation – to introduce people to Jesus Christ and see them reconciled to the Father. Sometimes you are welcomed; sometimes ignored; sometimes attacked. You cannot quit because you are not welcomed – the word must be preached and the seed sown regardless of the reception.
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:2-5 NIV
The Amplified Bible says we must be ready to preach the Word of God anytime and every time, “…whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable; whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome.” We are not responsible for the response TO the message, just the delivery OF the message. We cannot preach merely what people WANT to hear – we are to preach the Truth – we are to preach what they NEED to hear, whether they like it or not. We must correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.
But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:2-6 NKJV
The devil will try to blind men so they can’t see the Light or hear the Truth and so they don’t receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, but as you preach the Truth, God’s light shines into their hearts and they are converted. If you preach your opinion, you will get nowhere, however, the Gospel is full of the power of God and when you preach Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, then the power of the Gospel is released into men’s hearts and the Holy Spirit goes to work to touch and change their hearts.
You don’t know, you cannot tell beforehand, who will receive the Truth and who will not. Saul (renamed Paul) persecuted the Church terribly – he captured them, jailed them and even killed them – but Jesus met with him on the Damascus road and he became a bold proclaimer of the Gospel, himself. That is why you must be prepared to preach the Gospel and continue to preach the Gospel, through persecution and opposition if needs be, until all have heard and God’s will is done!
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This year’s Minister’s Conference changed my life. I was so ready and excited for that whole week of meetings. I was ready for a change, I was hungry for more, and I needed a touch from God more than ever before. Already this school year has been quite challenging for me in almost every area.
It hasn’t been as easy to press in now since I’ve had such busy schedule, but I suppose this all comes with ministry! I’m learning to keep my priorities in line now more than ever and keep Jesus as number one above all else in my life. So this whole week of Minister’s Conference was exactly what I needed! The presence of God was so refreshing and so strengthening to me in every service.
I would come in weak and tired, and leave revived and strengthened. One particular night I came into service late because I had just gotten off work. I arrived tired and needed a fresh touch from the Lord. After a long arduous day at work, I needed His joy to fill my heart at that moment; and He did! I knew God was doing a restoring work in my heart.
And finally, I received direction for my life. I knew God had called me, but after Phil Smithhurst ministered Saturday and Sunday night, it was confirmation of what I was already feeling in my spirit. God revealed His plan for my life even more, and He did more in my heart than I can even articulate. I’m so thankful for that week and I know that my life will never be the same.
Worship Soundtracks from RMIRiverSong on Vimeo.
Minister’s conference for me was like a place where I get a very ”expensive jewelry” – what. I took this jewelry and put ”on may neck” – in may heart as one of the the most expensive treasure.
Some of these jewels are:
- Guard your anointing and anointing will guard you,
- The biggest enemy of anointing is triviality and tolerance, always be in expectation
- Glory of God always represent who you are…
During MC2010 I realized how important is to be in team, to be trained and prepared for team work under Authority of God. I understood that just expectancy of revival is not enough. There is something more than just catching the Fire. We have to be ready to maintain it!
Let’s say, you throw me basket ball. If I don’t expect it, ball can hurt me. If I expect it and catch it, I can throw it and if I’m lucky, I can get some points. But I have lost it, because I was playing alone, doesn’t matter how good I was. But if I play in prepared team under Good Coach, I will be able not just catch the ball, not just throw it ones, but together with my team we will be able to keep the ball, to take it through the game and be the winners when the final trumpet sounds!
Worship Soundtracks from RMIRiverSong on Vimeo.
I can undoubtedly say that the 3rd year internship here at RBI has radically changed my life; and through me I believe the Lord is radically changing the lives of many other people. I am currently leading a bible study in a community within the city. We have a regular attendance of 25-40 people every Monday night. Just having the precious opportunity to pour into the lives of other people what has been poured into me is a blessing beyond measure. We had begun to share on stewardship and giving about 3 months ago and we have seen incredible moves of God in the finances of our regular attendees. About a month after we had begun to share on seed time and harvest one of our people had a desperate need financially.
I told her to continue to not only believe in the word but speak it continually. One Sunday morning Pastor Todd was teaching on making room for the anointing. He called up this lady and prayed for her. As she was out under the power of God members of the church just began to walk up and give her money. Checks, cash, whatever they had they gave. When she had counted it all it turned out to be more than enough for her need. This is as much of a testimony to me as it is to her seeing that the Lord works with us, confirming his word with signs following. No one guilted or begged the people to give to her, they simply got up of their own accord and gave. The Lord is continuing to do mighty things in this community and I believe that the best is yet to come. If not for the internship here, I would not have had the opportunity to go and to teach the word, therefore the Lord would have nothing to confirm.
Worship Soundtracks from RMIRiverSong on Vimeo.
I had the ultimate pleasure of assisting Pastor’s Allen and Kristin as a youth leader for this year’s summer youth camp. The youth camp was called “Encounter” and rightly so! We took over 55 youth members and 15 leaders to camp for five days and four nights of “funtivities,” character building games and exercises, and Holy Ghost meetings. It was incredibly rewarding to serve every youth member for the whole week because I was able to pour into their lives, see them get touched by God, and truly encounter God—some for the first time! These students had their lives shaken by the love of God and the word of God Pastor Allen and Kristin ministered at every gathering; they undoubtedly will never be the same after having this life altering experience.
I only wish that we were able to have thousands experience this youth camp to the point that we take over the whole campground for an entire week! Hearing the testimonies from most of the students and reading what they wrote down as their “camp testimony” opened my eyes to just how amazing God is that He will touch every person who is hungry for Him in a way that they know without a doubt that God is REAL, He loves them, and He has a wonderful and unique plan for each one of them!